Honoring David Scott Tidmarsh, the 2004 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H. Res. 684, a resolution honoring David Scott Tidmarsh, the 2004 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion. I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Davis), the chairman of the Committee on Government Reform, for moving this resolution so quickly through his committee.

Mr. Speaker, 14-year-old David Tidmarsh is truly a remarkable young man. Having had the opportunity to meet him and witness his accomplishments, I think I can say that with great confidence.

This soon-to-be freshman at Adams High School in South Bend, Indiana, is no stranger to the national spelling bee contest. He finished tied for 16th place in last year's spelling bee, but this year he knew he could do better, and he set out on a plan to achieve that goal.

David Tidmarsh has four dictionaries that he calls his own in his personal collection, including one that is so well worn that, if you shook it, it would probably fall apart. He has read through that one cover to cover twice. In fact, he compiled a list of words he thought might be included in the contest and typed them into his family's home computer. He also studied word lists from prior competitions.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is safe to say this is a very determined young man.

I was surprised to learn that in the 77-year history of the Scripps National Spelling Bee there has never been a winner from Indiana until this young man correctly spelled ``autochthonous,'' which is hard enough to say, very hard to spell, in the 15th round.

Mr. Speaker, I know that people from all over the country were holding their breath, watching David spell that final word on ESPN. I also know that his school and his hometown of South Bend, Indiana, was overwhelmed with excitement when he claimed the championship.

In fact, he has had quite a whirlwind tour since winning. He won the trophy on Thursday, June 3. That very night, he and his family traveled to New York City, and the next morning he appeared on the CBS Early Show, ABC's Good Morning America, NBC's Today Show, and, after that, he appeared on Fox News and CNN as well.

After that, he came back here to Washington, D.C., to deliver the speech at the bee's banquet that evening; and then he finally went back home to South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday.

On Monday, he attended a rally in his honor at his school, Edison Intermediate Center, hosted by the City of South Bend and the South Bend Community School Corporation. At the celebration, he was praised by Indiana's Governor, Joe Kernan, for the way he handled his victory. In fact, Governor Kernan was so impressed that he awarded David the State of Indiana's highest honor, the Sagamore of the Wabash Award.

But that was only the beginning of the accolades. South Bend Mayor Steve Luecke presented David with the key to the city and declared June 7, 2004, David Scott Tidmarsh Day. In St. Joseph County, Commissioner Cindy Bodle presented David with a key to the county.

Since that time in early June, David has thrown out his first pitch at a South Bend Silverhawks game, and I might say it was a strike, I was there to witness it, and he has appeared in numerous local parades and even had the opportunity to visit with the President of the United States in the Oval Office.

Everyone, including his very proud parents, his classmates, his extended Hoosier family, the Indiana Congressional Delegation and myself, are all extremely proud of David's accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 684) honoring David Scott Tidmarsh, the 2004 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the House acknowledges the accomplishments and the contributions of many deserving Americans during the course of every year. But today during the consideration of House Resolution 684, we congratulate one of our youngest honorees, and certainly one of the most impressive as well. Thanks to the work of the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Chocola), today the House of Representatives salutes the winner of the 77th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. This is a 14-year-old boy named David Scott Tidmarsh. He lives in South Bend, Indiana.

David won the South Bend city spelling bee to earn a trip to the Scripps National contest here in Washington, D.C. from June 1 through June 3. And during the championship, David survived 15 nail-biting rounds against a couple of hundred of the most gifted spellers from across the Nation; and he clinched the championship on the word, and I hope I can even pronounce the word, ``autochthonous,'' I believe it is pronounced. It was very impressive, I would say. For those who are scoring at home, let me spell it for them. That is a-u-t-o-c-h-t-h-o-n- o-u-s.

While it is not surprising, due to his very clear mastery of the English language, it is important to note that David is a straight-A student who loves to read. Reportedly David's favorite books are mysteries and science fiction. And I also understand he enjoys learning about politics; so I would certainly urge both the national political parties to think about recruiting this young fellow very early on. David obviously has a very bright future ahead of him no matter what he decides to do.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the whole House, we wish David Scott Tidmarsh the very best in his continued schooling and in the future. Again, I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Chocola) for recognizing David's incredible accomplishment, of which David should be very proud.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Chocola).

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support House Resolution 684, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I am pleased to join with the gentlewoman from Michigan in consideration of this resolution honoring David Scott Tidmarsh, the 2004 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a very special student for possessing a great skill. This year David Scott Tidmarsh survived 15 challenging rounds to win the 77th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee by spelling a very challenging word. As a matter of fact, I was saying to myself that had not it been for the fact that Mrs. Beadie King taught us to read phonetically, that is, to break words apart and separate them, I probably never would be able to enunciate this word. But it is ``autochthonous,'' and I thank Mrs. Beadie for the phonetic way in which she taught us to read. That helps me.

But the National Spelling Bee is a wonderful competition that celebrates a child's intellect and thirst for learning. Each year, students compete within their schools, then within their region, and then, if successful, at the national competition in Washington, D.C.

David Scott Tidmarsh advanced to the national competition by winning the Edison Intermediate Center competition in South Bend, Indiana, and then by winning the citywide competition.

At the National Spelling Bee, Tidmarsh was pitted against 265 other talented spellers from all over the U.S., as well as American Samoa, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, and the United States Virgin Islands. Using concentration and determination, Mr. Tidmarsh persevered to become national champion.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate David Scott Tidmarsh. His

willingness to study hard and to work toward a difficult goal is an example from which all Americans can learn. He is indeed a rare and talented young person. Again, I extend to him my congratulations.